Review:
An entertaining account of a corporate shark's search for redemption, John Scott Shepherd's first novel, Henry's List of Wrongs, has the virtues of snappy dialogue, quick plot shifts, and readability. Henry Chase, known to business friends and foes as The Assassin, has molded his life in response to the cruelty of his prom date, the beautiful, wealthy Elizabeth Waring, who crowned their perfect evening by rejecting his love. Ten years later, when his abs and his heart are both hard as steel, Henry returns to his hometown to rub Elizabeth's bad decision in her face. Instead, he learns something that forces him to reconsider every move he's made since that night and to take account of the damage he's caused. Shepherd is an accomplished screenwriter (Life, or Something Like It), and while his novel is enjoyable light reading, it's hard not to picture it as a movie (screen rights have already been sold). Emotions are painted broadly: the highs are a little bright and tangy, the lows darker and more ominous than in life. The plot twists often seem calculated: artificial obstructions are thrown in front of Henry like tacks on the road. And after a whip-smart opening reminiscent of David Foster Wallace, Shepherd's prose remains limber but undistinctive. --Regina Marler
About the Author:
John Scott Shepherd was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, John writes in the attic of the Kansas City home he shares with his wife Susan and their three children, Natalie, Jack, and Cooper.
Henry's List of Wrongs is his first novel.
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